Mishmash - Did you know?

Seemed like a good title. A lot of stuff, thoughts, etc. I finished Potok's book "Wanderings: History of the Jews." Interesting. I've always enjoyed history, but it seems its only been since becoming an adult (30+ years) that history is more meaningful.

Did you know?

• Hasidism was founded (by a Jewish mystic and faith healer) as a Jewish pietist movement during the 18th century. Some compared it with pagan worship. Lubavitcher is a variation of Hasidism.

• The Jews had a number of "Messiah's," but the true one they didn't see or understand. Those of the Hasidism belief figured out that the coming of the Messiah was God's job and not themselves. It is God's job and God fulfilled His promise. But there are many, besides the Jewish people, who do not see it. They may read the Old Testament, but what is foretold, is not believed.

• Movements exist within every religion. For 40 years, from the time of Jesus' death until A.D. 70, Christianity was considered a sect of Judaism.

• The years of The Enlightenment, from the mid to late 1700s, was probably when the Jewish people were enlightened, or were beginning to see it. During that time, Voltaire said "All men were worthy of freedom except Jews, because Jews were not of the same species as the rest of mankind. You deserve to be punished, for this is your destiny." When Hitler came into power in Germany in the early 1930s, his view was that the Jew was not a religion, but rather a race, and as such, they should be eliminated.

• It was during the late 1800s that talk began on forming a Jewish state. Theodor Herzl, a journalist, was the inspiration. He wrote several books, here are two = "Der Judenstaat - The Jewish State" (Feb. 14, 1896) and "Altneuland - Old New Land" (visionary novel). He met with the First Zionist Congress, established in 1897, and predicted there would be a Jewish state in 50 years. Jewish leaders weren't interested - they would not support such a far-fetched idea. Israel, Jewish homeland, was established in 1948.